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REVENGE OF THE WRITERS: Blurt’s Best and Worst of 2016

What stood out in the music world for 2016? The folks who work in the trenches here are gonna tell ya. Guarantee: all dialogue reported verbatim. Pictured above: our Artist of the Year, Angel Olsen (photo by Amanda Marsalis) – view an Olsen video, below, along with a clip from our Album of the Year, David Bowie’s Blackstar.

BY THE BLURT CRÜE

It’s like déjà vu all over again: For our 2016 year-end wrap-up we summarily yield the podium to the staffers and contributors who detail their personal picks for the year that just ended. Note that if you want to contact any member of our staff, their contact emails can be found below or at our “Contact” page. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the site we have our annual feature “Farewell: Music Passings” to pay tribute to those we lost in 2016.

Dumbest Band Name: There have been a lot of great band names over the years that reference cult or even obscure movies (Black Sabbath, The Misfits, They Might Be Giants), but there is also a whole generation of bands who have started referencing wildly popular movies in their monikers that just comes off as ridiculously lame. Here’s are a few of the recent top offenders:

Most Tragic Death: Every single one of them — Bowie, Prince, Keith Emerson, Paul Kantner, Guy Clark, Greg Lake, George Michael, George Martin – how can one say one loss is greater than another? This year simply sucked for the toll it took

Dumbest Band Name: Diarrhea Planet — Likely my pick from last year. Good luck getting airplay with that handle, boys. I can hear it now — some oldies station ten years from now proclaiming “Hey, kids… it’s gonna be a Diarrhea Planet Weekend!”

Worst Trend: This year, same as last year, same as the year before — the continued eradication of physical CDs – the lack of respect for the album as a complete physical art form, something to be held, cherished, appreciated in whole rather than just an amorphous entity that exists without form or function. I know it’s a losing battle, but damn it, I won’t give up. Bring back the album in physical form!

The Beatles – Eight Days A Week
Stooges – Gimme Danger
L7 – Pretend That We’re Dead
Last of the Mississippi Jukes
Bang – The Bert Berns Story

Music Books:

Danny Alexander Real Love, No Drama: The Music of Mary J. Blige
Bruno Cerlotti Love Day -By -Day 1945 -1971
John Corbett A Listener’s Guide to Free Improvisation
Courtney Harding How We Listen Now: Essays and Conversations About Music and Technology
Bob Mehr Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements
James McBride Kill ‘Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul
Andy Partridge Complicated Game: Inside the Songs of XTC
Ben Ratliff Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty

Reign — Golden Gardens (self-released) It’s great to discover new music in your own backyard. As I’ve said many times, this band’s music should be featured in the upcoming Twin Peaks series; eerie and ethereal.

Maggie Herron — Between the Music and the Moon (self-released) Maggie plays cool jazz four nights a week at the Lewers Lounge at Halekulani hotel in Waikiki (where you can also check out my favorite drink, the Lost Passion).

Kate Bush — Before the Dawn (Fish People/Concord) I still get to gloat that I saw two of these shows.

David Bowie — Blackstar (ISO/RCA/Columbia/Sony) This album would still be in most Top 10s, even if he hadn’t died.

Temple of the Dog — Temple of the Dog (super deluxe edition) (A&M/UME) Grunge’s first supergroup staged the most surprising reunion of the year, celebrated with a nice box set.

Music Books:

Gillian G. Gaar — Boss: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, The Illustrated History (Voyageur Press) I’m plugging my own book because the Lord helps those who help themselves.

Andy Neill — I’m Looking Through You: Rare and Unseen Photos from The Beatles Book Archives (Overlook Omnibus) The Beatles Book was the band’s official fan club magazine, and if you’re a Beatles fan, this book is a must!

Joel Selvin — Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day (Dey St.) The best book ever on that infamous day.

Steve Turner — Beatles ’66: The Revolutionary Year (Ecco) Steve Turner is a wonderful writer, taking you through a year that was a real turning point for the Fab Four.

Chuck Gunderson — Some Fun Tonight: The Backstage Story of How The Beatles Rocked America (Backbeat Books) The definitive work on the subject.

Gordon Minto and Joseph Pirzada — Elvis on Television (Boxcar Enterprises) Because if you buy the accompanying CD set, you might as well buy the lavishly illustrated 400 page book.

Larry Livermore — How to Ru(i)n a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records (Don Giovanni Records) Even though Green Day brought Lookout some unexpected success, this will certainly make you think twice about starting a record label.

Ada Calhoun — St Mark’s is Dead: The Many Lives of America’s Hippest Street (W.W. Norton) Not strictly a music book, but musicians are a part of the story.

John Doe — Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk (Da Capo Press) Doe and friends share a lot of fun stories about the era.

Brian Wilson and Ben Greenman — I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir (Da Capo Press) and Mike Love and James S. Hirsch — Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy (Blue Rider Press) Because if you’re interested in the Beach Boys, you owe it to yourself to read both sides of the story.

Theme of the Year: Death. It started with Bowie, and it just didn’t stop…Prince, Leon Russell, Paul Kantner, Buffin, Chris Squire, Glenn Frey, Mose Allison, George Martin, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones, two-thirds of Emerson Lake and Palmer. Too many more producers, session guys, songwriters to list here. I get it – rock is a senior citizen and the lists will get longer, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Oh…and in November? The Death of Hope.

Glad the Stones stopped trying to write new songs and went back to their roots. But as enjoyable as the record was, I can’t help wish they recorded one when Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins and Bobby Keyes were alive. Or if they recorded the whole affair with Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor. Brian Jones is rolling over in his pool.

I didn’t get angry when the Rock Hall of Fame nominations were announced with the usual egregious mis-steps. I just don’t care anymore. Maybe that’s maturity? I subscribe to these two commandments – (1) Music is subjective, so my rock hall of fame includes those who my ears, heart and head say belong, and (2) The Sex Pistols nailed it with their response to being nominated.

Maybe rock *is* dead. Paul Westerberg dropped the best work he’s done in ages and it didn’t even make a sound. If it was revealed that he recorded Wild Stab six months after Don’t Tell A Soul and All Shook Down, I would believe it.

Thank you, Loudon Wainwright III, for continuing to make me mostly piss myself laughing but sometimes choke back tears. Concert of the year.

Ray Davies is still being catty and obtuse about a Kinks reunion. Just…stop. Ray, you have a legacy *and* a hit musical that honors your life’s work. Don’t shit all over it by trotting a Kinks reunion band on stage fifteen years too late. I’m probably the biggest Kinks fan on the planet, and even I would rather retain my memories than see the Too-Late-For-Prime-Time Players.

Resolutions for 2017: (1) Write more often. (2) Go to every concert I’m mildly interested in because artists need support, and increasingly sad but true, there may not be a next time. (3) Write more often. (4) Continue a trend started at Bowie’s passing where I immerse myself in a veteran artist’s catalogue for a week or two. This year alone I wallowed in constants like Bowie, Stones, Rory Gallagher, Neil Young, Dylan and Mott and some whose albums were a little dustier like Roxy Music, Suzi Quatro and Billy Joel. Great therapy and a flush of dim memories thankfully rekindled. Highly recommended! (5) Write more.

Ben Watt — Fever Dream (Caroline/Unmade Road) Formerly known as the male half of Everything But The Girl and the owner of Buzzin Fly Records, Ben Watt has carved out yet another role for himself in the last few years as a singer-songwriter — and it fits him like a glove. His third solo album, Fever Dream picks up where 2014’s Hendra left off: intimate lyrics set to moody sonic landscapes. Highlights range from the nagging title track to the catchy “Faces of My Friends” to haunting ballads like “New Year of Grace” and “Winter’s Eve.”

David Bowie — Blackstar (Columbia) It’s hard to separate this album from the fact that Bowie died two days after its release. But trying to be as objective as possible, it still strikes me as a concise masterpiece. In a little over 40 minutes, Bowie stares mortality in the eye without being morose — and he draws on everything from free jazz to Beatlesque pop in the process. The result is at once heartbreaking and uplifting.

Suzanne Vega — Lover, Beloved (Amanuensis Productions) Lover Beloved is another concise masterpiece: a series of 10 songs that deal with Carson McCullers, the late author who pioneered the Southern Gothic style. Meant to preview Vega’s new play An Evening with Carson McCullers, this album is by turns haunting (“Annemarie,” “Instant of the Hour After”), wistful (“New York is My Destination”) and funny (“Harper Lee”).

Paul Simon — Stranger to Stranger (Concord Records) On his first disc of new material in four years, Simon reasserts himself as one of the best songwriters of all time. Musically, he explores the concept of microtonal tunings, created by the late composer Harry Partch. Lyrically, he’s in fine form as ever — especially on the infectious but wry “Wristband,” which starts out as a personal story but ends up telling universal truths.

Drive-By Truckers — American Band (ATO Records) Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and their cohorts seem to turn out albums at an exhaustive pace. American Band finds the Truckers tackling a variety of subjects from violence and racism (“What It Means,” “Guns of Umpqua,” “Ramon Casiano”) to Robin Williams’ suicide (the album-closer “Baggage”). The result is a warts-and-all look at America in the here and now. No easy answers but a lot of important questions — backed by kickass, Southern rock and roll.

Norah Jones — Day Breaks (Blue Note) NoJo’s sixth studio outing finds her returning to a more jazz-oriented setting, after her work with alt-rock producers like Jacquire King and Danger Mouse. Day Breaks is the Norah we first fell for but older and wiser. Her vocals are as sublime as ever and the album’s guests include jazz legends like Wayne Shorter and Dr. Lonnie Smith.

Edward Rogers — Glass Marbles (ZIP Records) NYC-by-way-of-Birmingham-UK singer-songwriter Rogers has been turning out quality work — both on his own and with various bands — since the ‘90s. At 18 songs, Glass Marbles is, admittedly, a lot to sift through. But Rogers hits more than he misses. Highlights range from “Denmark Street Forgotten” and “Welcome to My Monday Morning” — both of which offer Anglo-pop reminiscent of The Kinks — to the forceful, psychedelic title track.

SHEL — Just Crazy Enough (Moraine Music) I’m not sure if they’re certifiably crazy but there’s no question that the four Holbrook sisters that make up SHEL are insanely talented. Their long-awaited sophomore set, Just Crazy Enough, is more pop-oriented and perhaps a bit less quirky than their debut but it’s another winner. “Rooftop” is a catchy pop tune with a twist, while their cover of “Enter Sandman” slows the Metallica song down until it’s an eerie lullaby.

CRX — New Skin (Columbia) The side project of Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi finds him working in a similar vein to that band. New Skin doesn’t maintain the super high bar set by the first track, “Ways to Fake It” all the way through — but it’s enjoyable, New Wave-influenced pop nonetheless.

Dead Horses — Cartoon Moon (Dead Horses) The third album by this Wisconsin trio is a haunting affair sure to please fans of Americana music in general and, more specifically, The Cowboy Junkies.

Lou Reed — The RCA & Arista Album Collection (Sony/Legacy) 16 discs that chronicle Lou Reed’s career from the early ‘70s to the mid ‘80s, not to mention great liner notes by Hal Willner and memorabilia galore. A most enjoyable walk on the wild side courtesy of Sony/Legacy Recordings.

Paul McCartney — Pure McCartney (Concord/Hear Music)

Jeff Buckley — You and I (Sony/Legacy)

Various Artists — Action Time Vision: A Story of Independent UK Punk (Cherry Red)

In Memoriam: Where do I begin? Without going on endlessly, I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’ve never experienced a year like 2016. From start to finish, it’s been marked by loss and adversity — personally, politically and certainly in the music world. For me, the biggest losses were David Bowie, Prince and (just last weekend) George Michael. All three were immense talents, all three died young and (while Bowie appeared more than a decade earlier), all three ruled the airwaves during the 1980s. Earlier this year, while interviewing Ben Watt, I asked his thoughts on Bowie. “He was such a strong, iconic figure,” Watt replied. “Untouchable, in a way. I remember feeling the same way about Prince in the ‘80s: just ridiculously talented, mercurial [and] ever-changing.” Strangely, Prince died a few days after our conversation. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, Natalie Cole (who died on New Years’ Day), Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Sharon Jones, Maurice White, Glenn Frey, Leon Russell, Paul Kantner and Nicholas Caldwell of The Whispers. Hope I didn’t miss anyone… In truth, I’ll be missing a lot of these folks.

Biggest Disappointment: Here, the first album from Teenage Fanclub since 2010. I loved their last album, Shadows, and am a big fan of the Fannies in general. On Shadows, they were mellower and more content than usual but the songwriting was still there. Unfortunately, Here crosses the line from content into tranquil and boring.

Best Label: Sony/Legacy

Best New Artist: The Ally Venable Band (She may be working in a traditional genre — the blues — but Ally Venable does what she does well. And she’s still only in her teens!)

Hero of the Year: It’s a tossup… David Bowie for continuing to create great art right up to his death and even incorporating death into his art on both Blackstar and the “Lazarus” video”…. And Bruce Springsteen for still playing three-to-four hour shows at the age of 66, inviting fans onstage during those shows, casually calling Donald Trump out as “a moron” in Rolling Stone and, in general, being Bruce Springsteen.

Asshole of the Year: Madonna. Hands down, for the second year in a row. This year, the Material Girl performed a narcissistic concert tribute to Bowie (which proved only that her voice is shot), exposed a young fan’s breast during a concert and offered blow jobs to anyone who voted for Hillary Clinton. I’m still not sure who cost Hillary the election — Putin or Madonna. In any event, this is what happens when you’re so desperate to remain relevant that you resort to shock tactics in lieu of talent.

Best Holiday Song: “This is a Christmas Song, My Love” by JayMay

Best Video: David Bowie — “Lazarus”

Best Concert: Norah Jones at The Sheen Center. October 2016, NYC.

Best/Worst Band Name: Cattle Decapitation

Worst Trend: Musicians dying relentlessly, before their time.

2017 Release I’m Most Anticipating: The third (and supposedly final) disc by The Distractions, Kindly Leave the Stage.

My favorite 2016 records were pretty Catholic, stylistically speaking, suggesting a fertile music harvest. But it was tempered by the unmooring loss of genre-defying icons, and a digital landscape where pathfinders and schlubs get valued equally, and nobody gets paid. Yet all that is overshadowed by the year’s defining event, which casts its post-truth orange pall over everything, music included. Still, I choose to hear in all these artists’ visions a fundamental rebuke, as well as hope for a world where the arc of history still bends toward beauty and diversity rather than boorish excess, bigotry and bullying.

David Bowie – Blackstar (Columbia) Brave, brilliant goodbye. From the most important musical artist from the Seventies and beyond. By turns serene and aggrieved, “Blackstar” won’t soon be forgotten. (Btw, Car Seat Headrest does an awesome version of the title song in their live show).

Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial (Matador) Yearning, conflicted – Will Toledo is the ungainly offspring of Brian Wilson and Lou Reed, who grew up listening to Nirvana. Live, you can see him growing into his Rock God costume begrudgingly.

Mitski – Puberty 2 (Dead Oceans) Passion, good songs, distinct point of view, varied/immaculate production. And she had me at “Kill me, Jerusalem,” whatever that means.

Public Access T.V. – Never Enough (Cinematic) One of their songs goes, “They say the kids don’t like rock ‘n’ roll anymore.” But these kids party like it’s 1979. Imagine the Tuff Darts or somebody – with a LOT better songs.

Rolling Stones – Blue and Lonesome (Interscope) Before becoming the ‘greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world’ the Stones wanted to be a good blues band. As wily old dogs they sound like a good blues band and the Rolling Stones. Jagger, believe or not, is a revelation, fully himself, yet in full homage mode

D Generation – Nothing is Anywhere (Bastard Basement) Seventeen, more or less, years apart made them a better band. Jesse Malin’s growth as a songwriter is part of it. The other part is the band’s confident blasting of hard rock, not subservient to any genre.

Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition (Warp) When asked about the popularity of “Blood on the Tracks,” Bob Dylan told Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame) that it was “hard to relate to that – people enjoying that type of pain, you know?” One could say the same about “Atrocity Exhibition,” but Brown adorns his depression with hip-hop genius.

PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project (Island) Some critics weren’t persuaded by PJ as Brechtian agit-popper. I was. Far as I’m concerned, until she puts out a crappy record, Harvey always has a shot at my top ten for that year.

Helen Money – Become Zero (Thrill Jockey) What I said about Danny Brown? Applies here too. Money is actually cellist Alison Chesley. “Become Zero’s” elegiac pieces, inspired by her parent’s recent deaths, remind of Penderecki and Shostakovich, cast in the steel of post-rock. Dark, but beautiful. Not easy listening, but deeply touching.

Walter Martin – “Jobs I Had Before I Got Rich and Famous” (lle Flottante Music)

Paul Simon – “Wristband” (Concord)

Frank Ocean – “Ivy” (Boys Don’t Cry)

The National – “Morning Dew” (4AD)

The Monkees – “Me & Magdalena” (Rhino)

Anderson .Paak – “The Bird” (Steel Wool/Obe)

The Bad Plus – “Mandy” (Sony Masterworks)

Best Live Performances:

Patti Smith – A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall at Nobel Prize Ceremony, Stockholm, Dec. 10: Who wouldn’t – or shouldn’t – stumble over those frightening apocalyptic lyrics? They seem scarier now, considering the guy about to become president, than in 1962 when Dylan wrote the song. And her graceful recovery reminded us of why she’s such a charming human being.

Yo La Tengo and Lambchop sharing the stage and each other’s songs at a late-night Big Ears Festival show in Knoxville.

Best Reissue: Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music (The Numero Group)

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